Instant Pot Pressure Cook-all

PaladinTom wrote:
astralplaydoh wrote:

PaladinTom, did you sear the meat on Saute prior to adding liquid and pressurizing?

I did. I just used a little oil.

I almost always take the SS pot out and sear it on the stove then put it into the IP unit for pressure cooking or sear it in a separate pan then deglaze and add it back into the IP. That is what I did for Japanese Curry, as the meat would never fit into the pot for browning anyway without doing it in 4 rounds.

Yeah, the searing function works great if I'm making, like, half a kilo of meat or less. More than that and it starts to get too crowded.

I think that applies to non-Instant Pot pressure cookers. The IP won't let the lid open until the pressure is released, and they've got plenty of warnings about not using the quick release method or the pressure cook setting when making certain kinds of food.

I want to do some Basmati rice in the IP.
Recipes I've seen state 2 cups (12 oz) of rinsed rice, 2 cups (16 oz) of water. 3 minutes on high pressure. 10 minute natural release.

Sound right?

I do basmati all the time. 1 cup rice, 1.5 cup water, no rinsing, 4 minutes high, 10 minutes natural release. Great rice every time. For measures, i just use the little cup thing that came with it.

groan wrote:

I want to do some Basmati rice in the IP.
Recipes I've seen state 2 cups (12 oz) of rinsed rice, 2 cups (16 oz) of water. 3 minutes on high pressure. 10 minute natural release.

Sound right?

I've only used the rice setting, which uses a 1 to 1.3 ratio of rice to water and instant release after rice mode is over. With that said, my method ends up with sticky rice. The one you're quoting is one I'd like to try when we get back home. I've read it steams rice perfectly.

I almost always rinse my rice. It makes the end product less sticky. I tend to do white rice at a 1:1 ratio of rice/water. I figure there's a little extra water in the rinsed rice.

Our basmati tends to be on the dusty side so it's reccomended to rinse. I've read that if you rinse to reduce the water, so based on Infyrnos instructions, and what I've read elsewhere, 1:1 is about right.

I don't remember getting a rice measure with my IP. I'll have to look for it.

groan wrote:

I don't remember getting a rice measure with my IP. I'll have to look for it.

Mine came with a little plastic cup that had some measurements on the side.

Made Irish oats again this morning.

3 minutes.

Yum.

The successes continue. I made the best beef stew I’ve ever made in my life. Tweaked my recipe a bit to add more flavors and it came out fantastic. The only issue is that I cooked it a bit too long at 35 minutes. I'll go a bit shorter next time.

Recipe?

Ok, I just finished typing it up and it’s spoilered below for length. It’s a combo of several recipes I’ve found over the years and the flavor was magnificent. The MOST important step is the deglazing. The pot should get brown and crusty after searing the meat. Be sure to scrape the bottom of all of that fond off during that step!

What I am not comfortable with yet is the cooking time. I did 35 minutes plus 10 minutes slow release and everything was too soft. Next time I am going to try 30 minutes and quick release immediately. Then I might try 30 minutes with a 10 minute slow release.

Lastly, this is a recipe for four big eaters plus leftovers. You might want to cut it down some.

Spoiler:

PaladinTom's Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds of beef roast cubed and floured
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 small diced onions
1 cup of red wine
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 32oz box beef stock
1 pound of peeled & quartered potatoes
3 stalks of chopped celery
1 large bag of baby carrots
2 bay leaves
7 sprigs of thyme
4 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Set Instant Pot to sear. Add oil and wait until hot. Sear beef in portions on both sides without overcrowding pot. Remove beef and set aside. Add garlic and onion and cook for another minute or so until onions are translucent. Deglaze with wine and reduce by about 2/3rds.

Combine paprika, salt, pepper, soy sauce, worchestire sauce, tomato paste, and beef stock. Add potatoes, carrots, and beef to pot. Pour liquid into pot. Add bay leaves and thyme.

Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Slow release for 10 minutes then quick release.

Mix water and cornstarch into a slurry and stir into stew to thicken it.

That beef stew sounds great! I might have to try that. I wonder if it would make sense to do it in two stages, and add the veggies for the last ten minutes?

I made Instant Pot Chicken Breast tonight. I was good, not great. Might have needed a bit more salt that I used. Definitely on the good side of things, but not the best meal we've had with the Instant Pot.

I was also happy to see that that pot came up to pressure and worked great tonight. I'm pretty sure that I had the release value on funny the last time I cooked, when I got the "burn" message.

I just keep making Korean galbi-tang and overeating for days after it is made. I am afraid this has become a bad influence in my life.

PaladinTom, I would probably wait until after it's done cooking to add the potatoes and carrots. I then cook it again for 4 minutes. That seems to the magic number for potatoes and carrots.

astralplaydoh wrote:

PaladinTom, I would probably wait until after it's done cooking to add the potatoes and carrots. I then cook it again for 4 minutes. That seems to the magic number for potatoes and carrots.

Thanks. I’d prefer to try to do everything in one go, but if that's the case I must just do that.

Can you replace the radish in Galbitang with something a bit more palatable? Carrots, maybe?

Robear wrote:

Can you replace the radish in Galbitang with something a bit more palatable? Carrots, maybe?

I’m partial to parsnips.

Double post

Maybe even potatoes, I guess.

Ok, I'm struggling with my Instant Pot. I can't get it to seal reliably. I tear it apart clean and reassemble after every use.

I have to sit there and watch it, and wait for steam to start pouring through the metal part that is supposed to go up when the proper pressure is reached. Then when this happens I can push down with a lot of force on the lid, and this gives enough of a pressure "jolt" for that part to actually rise and complete the seal.

Everything with that part seems to move smoothly before/after, but I'm tired of meals being a charred mess as the pot seems to overheat everything trying to actually make that part rise and the seal to complete.

Is it a new instant pot? I would call their customer service. Is it the original sealing ring?

Speaking of beef stew, I popped my Instant Pot cherry by making Kenji's Beef Stew, which uses the idea of putting in the vegetables in a seperate step, but also throwing in extra carrot, celery, onion and garlic during the meat section in order for it to grab some of the right flavour.

Even with the second step, the vegetables ended up too mushy (crazy that 15 minutes makes potatoes that soft) and there was too much liquid, but it also came out pretty tasty and like all good stews, it tasted better the next day. Initial test was a success!

Pork Shoulder was on discount this weekend at the store, so converting one of my slow cooker pulled pork or carnitas recipes is looking to be the second attempt.

Made my first chicken dish tonight. Curry Chicken! Came out perfect. The cook time itself (not including browning and pressurizing) was only 5 minutes!

Spoiler:

PaladinTom's Curry Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds of chicken breasts cut into strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 6oz can of tomato paste
4 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 small diced onions
8 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 cups chicken broth
6 ounces plain yogurt
5 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Set Instant Pot to Sauté. Sauté chicken and set aside. Sauté garlic and onion. Deglaze with 1 cup of chicken broth and reduce. Mix ginger, spices, tomato paste, and broth. Add all to pot.

Cook on high for 5 minutes and quick release. Stir in yogurt.

Combine cornstarch and water. Stir in cornstarch slurry to thicken.

As suspected, this was a meal fit for some perfectly cooked rice in the Instant Pot but alas I had to cook it on the stove. There is definitely a second one in my future.

Skraut wrote:

Then when this happens I can push down with a lot of force on the lid, and this gives enough of a pressure "jolt" for that part to actually rise and complete the seal.

Is the sealing gasket between the lid and the pot messed up somehow? There are really only three places pressure can escape: the sealing/venting switch, the pressure valve, or the lid/pot seal. If you're reaching pressure by pushing down on the lid, it sure sounds like there is something wrong with the lid/pot seal.

I suppose it's also possible that the liquid is too thick or the pot hasn't been deglazed during cooking. Have you tried a water test with the unit? Pour a cup of water in the Pot, set it to high pressure for 2 mins, and see how it runs?

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

I suppose it's also possible that the liquid is too thick or the pot hasn't been deglazed during cooking. Have you tried a water test with the unit? Pour a cup of water in the Pot, set it to high pressure for 2 mins, and see how it runs?

I threw 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot set it to high pressure and started a stopwatch.

3 minutes in, and steam started appearing through the valve. It bounced up about half way, and back down for the next minute before finally sealing. Had my parents test theirs, and they said it did a little bit of fluttering before sealing, but they said it was sealed by a little past 3 minutes.

The last couple meals I've made in it, have all followed known recipes. The flavor/texture of everything is wonderful, as long as I don't accidentally scrape up what gets charred to the bottom.

Skraut wrote:

I threw 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot set it to high pressure and started a stopwatch.

3 minutes in, and steam started appearing through the valve. It bounced up about half way, and back down for the next minute before finally sealing. Had my parents test theirs, and they said it did a little bit of fluttering before sealing, but they said it was sealed by a little past 3 minutes.

I've done the test twice (once as a first run and once after I got a "BURN" result on a meal), and that sounds pretty much like what mine's done too. I haven't timed it or anything, but 3 minutes sounds about right. I don't think the pressure valve went halfway up, then down, then back up, but the timing seems about the same.

That's so odd that you're having trouble getting it to full pressure consistently. Maybe it's worth trouble-shooting with customer support?

Made Sausage Cabbage Soup tonight. Big thumbs up from the wife and kids and highly recommended for cold winter evenings. Even my daughter liked it: "I don't like celery and cabbage and carrots, but this is really good." Everyone had seconds and nothing survived.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/RXZRs8n.jpg)